Metallic receptacle and process of producing the same



1,573,645 SMITH ET AL MEAMJCI RECEFTACLE AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME Sept. 2l, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 w Q A s 2,3 w QMQQ/ June l2. 1928. 1,673,645'

o. T. SMITH ET AL IETALLC RECEPTACLE' AND PROCESS 0F PRODUCING THE SAME .Filed sept. 2l, 1927 2 Sheets-sheet 2 Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.;

OSCAR T. SMITH, OF WELLSBURG, AND LOUIS A. DILLER, F FOLLANSBEE, WEST VIR- GINIA, ASSIGNORS TO SHEET METAL SPECIALTY COMPANY, OF PITTSBURGH, PENN- SYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

METALLIC RECEPTACLE AND PROCESS OF PRODUCING THE SAME.

Application led September 21, 1927. Serial No. 221,021.

This invention relates to a method by which a flat metallic sheet is transformed into a seamless cylinder having a seamless reinforcingcuff at one end, and to the product resulting from this process. In its more specific aspects, the invention relates to a metallic receptacle, such as an ice cream or a milk can, having a cylindrical seamless bod and a seamless reinforcing cuff at one en preferably terminating in an annular surrounding reinforcing bead.

Although in some of its aspects the 1n vention has a wide application, it originated with the object of securing` a receptacle particularly7 for use in the manufacture and sale of ice cream, having characteristics and qualities superior to those cans heretofore in use, and the principles of the invention can best be explained by reference to such a receptacle.

Such a receptacle is preferably provided with a reinforcing cuff at its upper open end, that is to say, the receptacle at the open end is made of double thickness by what may be called a reinforcing cuff terminating at its lower end in an annular bead to give further strength to this end and also to provide a seat or stop for the lid or cover. Such structures have been made heretofore, but the best practice prior to the conception of our present invention has been, so far as known to us, to take a flat sheet of uncoated steel, fold over a margin of the sheet while in its fiattened condition so as to reinforce this margin, at the saine time providing the lower edge the foldedover part with an annular bead of semi-circular cross section, after which the blank is brought to cylindrical form, welded along adjacent edges while still uncoated 'with tin or like corrosion-resisting material, and the required coating is thereafter applied. In this prior practice it is necessary to complete the formation of the receptaclebefore it can be coated with a corrosion-resisting material, such as tin, which is absolutely essential to its use. In applying the coating of tin oramalgam after such formation of the reinforcing cuff it is impossible to secure an eflicient coating underneath the cuff, in consequence of which corrosion starts beneath the cuff, causing the receptacle to rust and streak and break down at this point.

It is an object of this invention to obtain a receptacle, with a surrounding reinforcing cu1 and bead, which is stronger at its upper open end than those heretofore made, a receptacle in which corrosion is practically prevented, and one in which the duction is materially reduced as compared with other receptacles for like uses and purposes.

These objects are attained by the novel method hereinafter described, the essence of which lies in inverting or turning inside out the end of a cylindrical blank to form the reinforcing culi.

The method is effected by the use of apparatus which will now be described in detail. y

In the annexed drawings: Figure l is avertical section throughs.

means for locking the two-part die during.

the first or forming operation.

Figure 5 illustrates the first step inthe inverting operation.

' Figure 6 illust-rates the condition of the reinforcing cuff at thef-endvof the inverting operation.

Figure 7 illustrates the beginning of the second or compressing operation.

Figure 8 illustrates the condition of the cuff at the end of the second or compressing operation,

Figure 9 is a vertical cross sectional view through the upper edge of the completed receptacle. y

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which the same reference numerals `indicate like parts in the several views, we take a Hat sheet of uncoated metal, 0f any desired cost of progauge oi' material, but preferably about No. 18 gauge United States standard sheet steel, bend it into cylindrical form and weld the adjacent abutting edges to form a cylindrical blank, which is then dipped in a bath of tin or amalgam to form a seamless blank cylinder 1, thoroughly coated inside and out.

For the cuff-forming operation We employ standard equipment, such, .for enample, as a No. 306 Bliss straight sided single crank press, the base of which in the drawings is indicated by the numeral 2, and the ram of which is designated by the numeral 3. We provide a special die 4 for attachment to the ram of the press to effect the 1nverting operation, which may be called an inverting die, and a clamping die for attachment. to the base of the press to hold the cylindrical blank during the inverting 0peration. This clamping die is shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, and consists of a base 5 suitabl secured to the base 2 of the press, as by olts 6. Fixed upon the base 5 centrally thereof is a receptacle-supporting plate 7 having undercut edges 8, and upon the supporting plate 7 is centrally fixed a receptacle-positioning plate 9 of less diameter than the plate 7. The clamping die consists of two members 10 and 10", pivoted together, and to the base 5 by means of a bolt 11 passing through perforations 12, 13, in overlapping ears 14, 15, on the respective members and into an aperture 16 in the base. By this means the clamping members 10, 10', are held to the base but are permitted to swing about and open upon the bolt 11 as a center to permit introduction and removal of the receptacle blank and to securely close upon the blank during the inverting operation. To provide for locking these members in close contact with the receptacle during the inverting operation the free end ot the clamping member 10 is provided with two spaced ears 17, provided with perforations 18, through which passes a locking pin 19 having a sector cut from its side to form a groove 2O (Figures 1 and 4). To the upper end of the locking pin 19 is fixed a handle 21 by which the pin may be rotated. The other clamping member 10 is provided at its free end with a locking lug 22 adapted to enter between the ears 17, 18, when the members are closed, this locking lug 22 being rovided with a locking shoulder 23 of su stantially cylindrical curvature. Rigidly secured to each of the clamping members 10, 10'. is an operating handle 24 by means of which the members may be conveniently moved into open or closed position. It will readily be seen that the groove 20 in the locking pin 19, when turned to the proper position by the handle 21, will permit the locking lug to pass the pin for purposes of opening and closing the clamping members 10, 10. When these members are closed, however, and the locking pin is rotated a quarter turn, the cylindrical surface of the pin engages the cy lindrical surface of the locking lug to hold the clamping members firmly interlocked. Instead of having the shoulder 23 of true cylindrical curvature it may be slightly eccentric to the surface of the locking pin to eiect a camming action. The lower edges of the clamping members 10, 10', are in contact with the upper face of the base 5, and their inner surfaces are provided with inwardly facing grooves to fit the contour of the receptacle-supporting plate 8 and the receptacle-positioning plate 9, as shown in Figure 1, whereby, when the clamping meinbers are closed on the receptacle blank the same will be held firmly in position during the inverting operation, as shown in this view.

The inverting die 4 is clearly shown by Figure 1. It consists of a soli body comprising a central disk 25 from the upper face of which projects a lug 26 adapting it for attachment to the ram of a ress and from the lower face of which extends a cylindrical pilot member 27 with a rounded lower edge 28. At the junction of the pilot menibei' 27 and the central disk 25 there is formed an annular downwardly opening groove 29 of substantially semi-circular cross section.

Die forming operation.

Having thus ldescribed the mechanical pai-ts required to invert the end of a metallic tube, the operation of these parts will now be set forth as follows:

As above explained. a fiat .sheet of metal suitable to make the body of the desired receptacle is selected and bent into cylindrical form, its abutting edges being welded together to form a seamless tube. Thereafter this cylinder is coated with a corrosion-resisting'material, such as tin or amalgam, thus permanently covering the entire surface inside and out with such material. The tube or receptacle body 1, thus prepared, is placed upon the supporting plate 7 in the press. as indicated by Figure 1, the members 10, 10', of the clamping die having been previously opened to permit this insertion. The operator then grasps the handles 24 and draws the members together and into close engagement with the receptacle body 1. After the locking pin 19 has passed the nose or high point of the locking lug 22, the handle 21 is turned to rotate the locking pin a quarter turn into engagement with the lug 22, whereby the receptacle blank is firmly held in the press, as shown by Figure 1. The ram of the press is now caused to descend. The pilot 27 of the inverting die first enters the upper end of the blank, and if the blank is not precisely positioned the rounded lower edge 28 of the pilot will properly center it. When the annular groove 29 of the die engages the upper edge of the blank, further descent of the die stretches or expands` the tubular blank ,radially and curls it to the form shown by Figure 5, where the extreme edge 1 of the blank rests against the outer face of the blank body. Upon further descent of the die the inverting operation is effected, the blank taking the form shown by Figure 6 of the drawings. The tube may thus be inverted or turned inside out to any desired distance, as will be obvious.

The. next operation is that of compressing the inverted end of the blank and forming a bead thereon. This operation might be effected in the same press by changing the dies and holder for the blank, but it has been found more convenient to equip a second press so that no changes are necessary. The construction of the parts for effecting the compressing and bead-forming operation is disclosed in Figures 2` 7 and 8. The base of the press is equipped with a clamping die precisely the same in principle as the clamping die shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4, and described above in detail, but varying'in structure slightly in thatit is made longer for the purpose. of affording a support for the upper end of the blank, as well as the bottom thereof.

This clamping die is composed of two members, only one, 10, of which is shown, each provided with two sets'of perforated ears 14", 15", hinged together and to the base. of the press by a bolt l1, The free ends of these members are provided respec-y tively with perforated ears 17a, two locking lugs 22a, and a. long locking pin 19a serves to lock the clamping members firmly together. Each of the clamping members is provided at its upper end with a hard steel semi-annular plate 30, having an upwardly opening arcuate groove 31 (Figure 7) in its upper edge, so that when the two members are locked together the plates 30 form an annular ring.

For compressing the inverted end of the blank the ram of the press is equipped with a compressing and forming die 32 comprising a central or body part 33 having an upwardly extending. lug 34 for attachment to the press and a downwardly extending marginal flange 35 extending from its lower face. This flange is made of hard steel and is of irregular formation on its inner face, being thicker at its base than at its lower free edge, a curved shoulder 36 being formed at the junction of the two sections. The body part 33 is provided in its upper y face with a plurality of recesses 37, from the bottoms of which extend apertures 38 of smaller diameter, thus providing shoulders or seats 39 for the enlarged heads of bolts 40 passing through the apertures 38, the. lower ends o which are in screw-threaded engagement with a disk-like pilot 4l having a rounded lower corner 42. The point of attachment of the bolts 40 to the pilot member is so selected as to permit an up-and-down lost motion of the pilot member, as will be apparent from Figures 2 and 8, for a purpose hereinafter described. The diameter of the pilot 41 is so selected as to accommodate two thicknesses of the wall of the receptacle blank between the outer edge thereof a-nd the inner face of the marginal flange above the shoulder 36.

Uompressz'ng operation.

To effect the compressing operation the blank having its upper edge inverted, as shown by Figure 6, is fixed in the clamping die as shown by Figure 2. The compressing die isv then caused to descend and the pilot 41 enters the open end of the blank to properly center it, as shown by Figure 7 When the shoulder 36 on the marginal flange engages the inverted part of the blank it cams the outer wall of the blank inwardly, compressing it against the inner wall or body of the blank, which is supported against radial thrust by the pilot 4 The clamping members are so selected as to height that when the inverted blank is inserted the lower end of the curled part is slightly above the annular groove 31, as shown by Figure 7. T he shoulder 36 on the marginal flange in its descent forces the invert-- ed portion of the blank downwardly until the curled end engages the groove 31. Fur'- ther downward movement ofthe die then presses the inverted portion against the body portion of the blank and forces the curled end into a bead 43 of substantially circular cross section, as shown by Figures 2 and 8, which illustrate the position of the parts of the compressing die at the completion of the operation. Upon upward motion of the ram ofthe press the die is disengaged from the blank, the lost motion of the pilot permitting the latter to remain within the blank until the shoulder 36 has passed the upper edge of the blank, thereby reducing friction and permitting a ready disengagement of the compressing die.

After the formation of the upper edge of inserted in the lower end thereof, in any of the well-known ways.

The receptacle so made is novel, so far as we know, in that the body thereof is seamless, the turned-over portion or cuff is seamless, the cuff is not attached in any way to the body except at the upper edge, the surfaces underneath the cuff are coated with a corrosion-resisting material, and the bead is of such novel formation as to give greater strength to the upper edge of the receptacle the blank as above described, a bottom is g than has heretofore been attained. The production of a cutf having the underneath surfaces coated arises out of the fact that according to our process it is possible to coat the metal before any formi'ng operations are begun. This is a very important feature because the lack of a coating on these surfaces permits corrosion at this point and causes the receptacle to break down,V Although the blank is coated before forming operations are begun. particularly for the purpose ot' securingr coated surfaces underneath the cuit, we have found it desirable to subject the receptacle to another and final coating operation to insure a perfect coating, which incidentally lills up the groove between the head i3 and the receptacle body.

lVhilc we have devised our method particularly for the production of receptacles, such as ice cream cans, it is obvious that in its broad aspects it is applicable to the production ot other articles of manufacture, the feature of bodilyv inverting a tubular metal blank being novel, so far as known to us, as well as the cult-forming steps that succeed the inverting operation.

While, we prefer to perform the inverting operation before the blank is provided with a bottom, the bottom might be inserted first, and other variations of our described procedure and article might be adopted, all within the principles above described and the spirit of this invention as hereinafter claimed.

Having thus described our invention, what we now claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. The steps in the process of making a receptacle or the like which consist in curling the free edge of a cylindrical metallic body and then exerting cndwise pressure on the curled end to invert or turn inside out a vsubstantial portion of such body to form a reinforcing cuff thereon.

2. The process of forming a reinforcing cuff on the open end of a tubular metallic member, which consists in curling the metal of said end and then exerting endwise pressure on the curled end longitudinally of the member' to cause a substantial portion of the body of thc wall below the curl to be inverted or turned inside out.

il. 'lhe process of forming a reinforcing cutll on the open end of a tubular metallic member, which consists in curling the metal of said end and then exerting endwise pressure on the curled end longitudinally of the member to cause a substantial portion of the body of the wall below the curl to be inverted or turned inside out, and subsel quently pressing the turned over edge into close engagement with the body of the`mcmber.

,4. The process of forming a reinforcing cuff on the open end' of a tubular metallic member, which consists in curling the metal of said end outwardly, downwardly and inwardly until the curled end contacts with the body of the member, then exerting endwise pressure on said curled end longitudinally of the member to cause the wall thereof to be inverted or turned inside out, and subsequently pressing that part of the turned over end above said point of contact into close engagement with the exterior of said body, thereby forming a all of double thickness and a surrounding bead al, the hase of the reinforcingr cuff.

5. The process of forming ay rein forcing entf on the open end of a tubular metallic member, which consists in curling the metal of said end outwardly, downwardly and inwardly until the curled end contacts with the body of the member, then exerting endwise pressure on said curled end longitudi nally of the member to cause the wall thereof to be inverted or turned inside out, and subsequently pressing that part of the turned over end above said point of contact. into close engagement with the exterior oftsaid body and simultaneously forming the curled end into a substantially circular bead, thereby forming a wall of double thickness and a surrounding bead at the base of the reinforcing cuff.

6. The steps in the process of making a receptacle with a reinforcing cuff which consist in coating a seamless metal tube with a corrosion-resisting material, curling the metal at one end. then exerting endwisc pressure on the curled end longitudinally to cause the tubular end to be inverted or turned inside out., then pressing that portion of the turned over end above the curl into close engagement with the body, thereby forming a wall of double thickness and a reinforcing annular head.

7. The steps in the process of making a re ceptacle with a reinforcing cuff which consist in coating a metal tube with a corrosionresisting material, curling the metal at one end, then exerting endwise pressure on the curled end longitudinally to cause the tabli-` lar end to be inverted or turned inside out, then pressing that portion of the turned over end above the curl into close engagement with the body, thereby forming a wall of double thickness and a reinforcing annular bead, and subsequently applying a corrosion-resisting coating to the entire surface.

8. The' steps in the process of making a receptacle with a reinforcing cuff which consist in coating a welded metal tube with a corrosion-resisting material, curling the metal at one end, and then exerting endwse pressure on the curled end longitudinally to cause the tubular end to be inverted or turned inside out.

9. The steps in the plrocess of making a receptacle or the like w ich consist in form- Utl lUO

ing an uncoated sheet into a cylinder, welding the abutting edges, then applying a. coating of corrosion-resisting material, and then die-forming the end thereof into a cuff reinforcing member suri'ounding the body portion.

10. A receptacle comprising a seamless body portion and a seamless reinforcing cuff integral with the body portion, terminating in a seamless annular reinforcing bead integral with said cuff.

1l. A receptacle comprising a seamless body portion and a seamless reinforcing cuff integral with the body portion, terminating in a seamless annular reinforcing bead of substantially circular cross section integral with said cuff.

12. An article of manufacture comprising a. tubular body portion and a tubular reinforcing cuff joined thereto b a bent portion, all of one piece of metal, said cuff terminating in an integral, annular reinforcing bead.

13. An article of manufacture comprising a tubular body portion and a tubular reinforcing cuff joined thereto by a bent portion,

all of one piece of metal, said cuff terminat,

ing in an integral annular reinforcing bead of substantially circular cross section.

14. A receptacle comprising a bod portion and an integral reinforcing cu each of which is composed of a seamless metal tube, the entire surface, including the con tacting or adjacent surfaces of the body and cuff, being provided with a corrosion-resist ing coating.

15. A receptacle comprising a body portion and a reinforcing cuff terminating in an integral annular reinforcing bead, said cuff being integrally connected with said body portion only at the mouth of said body portion, the entire surfaces of the body portion and cuff, including the contacting surfaces thereof, having a corrosion-resisting coating.

16. A receptacle comprising a body portion and an integral reinforcing cuff, terminating at its lower end in an annular reinforcing bead, the body and cuff each being composed of a seamless metal tube, the entire surface, including the contacting or adjacent surfaces of the body and cuff, be-

ing provided with a corrosion-resisting coating.

17. A receptacle having a reinforcing cuff at its open end obtained by inverting the end of a tubular metallic body having a corrosion-resisting surface, said cuff being pressed into Contact with the metallic body.

18. A receptacle of the character described having a reinforcing cud obtained by applying a. corrosion-resisting coating to a metal tube, then curling one of the free edges of the cylinder and exerting endwise pressure on the curled end to cause a substantial portion of the body of the Wall below `the curl to be inverted or turned inside out.

' 19. A receptacle of the character described having a reinforcing cuff obtained by forming an uncoated flat sheet into cylindrical forni, then Welding the adjacent edges together, then applying a corrosion-resisting coating to the entire surface, then curling one of the free edges of the cylinder radially, then exerting endwise pressure on the curled edge longitudinally of the cylinder to cause the end of the same to be inverted or turned inside out, and then pressing the upper portion of the turned over edge into close Contact with the body of the cylinder.

20. A receptacleof the character described obtained by forming an uncoated flat sheet into cylindrical form, then Welding the adjacent edges together, then applying acorrosion-resisting coating to the entire surface, then curling one of the free edges of the cylinder radially, theny exerting endivise pressure on the curled edge longitudinally of the cylinder to cause the end of the same to be inverted or turned inside out, then pressing the upper portion of the turned over edge into close contact with the body of the cylinder, then closing the lower end of the cylinder by a bottom member, and finally coating the receptacle by another coating of corrosion-resisting material.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures.

OSCAR T. SMITH. LOUIS A. DILLER. 

